§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what systematic monitoring for acid pollution is carried out in rivers in Scotland.
§ Mr. AncramThe control of river quality in Scotland rests with the river purification authorities (river purification boards and islands councils). They routinely monitor the quality, including acidity, of the rivers within their areas. In recent years a number of site-specific monitoring exercises have been established by individual authorities to assess the effects of acid deposition. In addition, the Government have recently commissioned the river purification boards to carry out jointly a systematic three-year study into the effects of acid deposition on a total of 150 catchments in Scotland.